Why advertisers can’t afford not to consider digital advertising

08/09/2010 | admin

So what’s the deal with digital? We all know, and by this point love, everything digital. Even if we don’t honestly know what the letters LCD stand for we know it’s a good thing. And when it comes to high definition, whether we’re fast forwarding through infomercials or yelling at a questionable sports call (trust me, the World Cup in HD is totally worth it every four years), as viewers we like what we see.

But consumers aren’t having ALL the fun. Why should advertisers be so excited about digital? Because digital signage advertising is one of the most effective and cost-efficient forms of advertising, way out performing the reach and results of television, online, print, and practically any other medium.

Why should advertisers take a hitch on the digital bandwagon? Studies found that consumers are three times more likely to successfully recall digital advertisements as compared to television, and four times more likely than television ads. Nearly two-thirds of consumers say that digital signage advertising catches their attention – the highest level reported across all media surveyed, including billboards, magazines, TV, the Internet, newspapers, radio, and mobile phone advertising.

If you’re looking for numbers, take these for a spin. It takes an average advertising investment of $21 to reach 1,000 people via television. So how does that compare to the ROI for digital? Continue reading →

Stop doing the same old, well, you know

08/03/2010 | admin

OK, so poop jokes aren’t exactly new, but we were trying to make a point here. The point being that marketing today is about really pushing the envelope. It’ s about not just getting creative, but about being getting people’s attention by being different – extreme and outlandish, even. Because if your marketing is none of these things I’ve just described, well then you’re just doing the same old s#!%.

The magazine ad that’s getting attention

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Why we’re throwing out the dirty “S” word

07/29/2010 | admin

Busy is good in our industry! It’s certainly better than the alternative. We tend to like a faster pace – we like it when things are going on, and we like to have projects. Most of us would say that we even work better under the pressure of deadlines and crunch time. But what happens when you just have too many things in the queue and not enough days in the week to get them done? As they say, something’s gotta give.

Don’t think of it as sacrificing. I know that sacrifice is kind of a dirty word in our field. I mean, who really wants to sacrifice? The idea of a forfeit or a loss of ANYTHING is NOT appetizing. Our clients want to get everything, get it quickly, and for cheap. Now WE know that’s not happening. And we want to be able to deliver quality, quickly, and for every client at the same time. The idea of having to sacrifice one of these elements seems like suffering. So no, it’s not sacrificing. It’s more like… prioritizing.

Have you ever hear the old line: “Good, fast or cheap – pick two.” It’s a little bit hokey, but it’s so true. Continue reading →

What’s the sign of a good campaign? A big fight.

06/24/2010 | admin

That’s what The Economist magazine discovered when the creatives were challenged to develop an advertising campaign in India that would make people “interpret the world.” They didn’t realize that they’d then be charged with refereeing the ensuing national arguments.

Can you interpret this billboard?

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But it looked soooo good on TV?!

06/23/2010 | admin

When I was little I always wondered how the kids in the TV commercials poured such perfect bowls of cereal. A crunchy layer of cereal three-inches thick sat on top of a pool of bright white milk. Not a single sugary nugget was disturbed; and none of it ever got soggy when it hit the milk.

That’s never how my cereal bowls looked, I can tell you that! I eventually realized that “as seen on TV” isn’t how it happens in real life. Things are always a little more soggy, a little less golden brown, a bit messier and disproportioned, and never as juicy as they look in the ads. But boy, those food photographers do a heck of a job because they still pull us in every time.

(For more food ads versus reality, check out this site!)

Is it ethical for advertisers to visually enhance their products for the photoshoot? Well, other commodity companies photoshop and air brush their models for ads every day. Is this any different? Not really. But can anyone blame them? If they did photograph and show you how their meal REALLY looks when it leaves the basking light of the heat lamp and hits your tray, would you go out of your way to get it? As consumers we’ve learned not to take certain advertising at face value. We’ve been conditioned on the mass market.

For example, we know that Happy Meals aren’t really nutritious, even if McDonald’s marketing stakes that claim while targeting kids with an irresistible ploy of toys and figurines. Now a public watchdog group in Silicon Valley, California has banned the fast food giant from including toys in their meals and marketing. Apparently they aren’t offering our kids “the best,” as they claim. Since when? Even so, is legal action against McDonald’s marketing focus necessary? What do you think?

http://www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm

Think outside of the box! Or, uh, the business card?

06/22/2010 | admin

OK, so yes it’s probably the oldest cliche in the book, but I just had to use it because it was too perfect here. How cool is this business card? Now this is the type of innovative thinking that excites us.

Seriously, who’s going to be handed this business card and NOT be absolutely compelled to start a conversation about it? Most people have the wrong idea about business cards. They use them as an after thought instead of a real marketing tool. Your business card can be so much more! Use it as a billboard to build your brand; to reinforce your philosophy. Make it work for you. And yes, get creative!

Ridiculous and unchecked creativity is obviously not appropriate for every industry, but for a cargo shipping company, it definitely works. The origami-inspired leave-behind shows creativity and thought, yet isn’t too flashy. It seems professional but stands out at the same time. It’s appropriate yet unexpected. This Brazilian creative agency, Y&R, deserves some props.

The creativity is great, but what’s the catch? It’s just not practical. Hey, we have some clients who worry about the cost of printing color on both sides of letterhead, let alone paying for collateral of this complexity. Printing 1,000 of these specialized business cards is not exactly cheap. If you’re worried about cost, you might want to treat this piece like your good china – only use it on special occasions.

We certainly appreciate great ideas, but smart marketing is about knowing how to use creativity in the real world. Have you seen any cool marketing ideas out there that just blow away the status quo? Share them with us!